Four electric GP cars are being evaluated to see if they run efficiently and reliably, the Minister of Public Works said yesterday.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch said the Kia Soul EV’s were under appraisal to see how they performed, as the Government pushed ahead with carbon-neutral transport.

Asked about the cars, Colonel Burch said: “They are electric – and we have indicated a desire to transition to electric vehicles. So we purchased four of them slightly more than a year ago.

“We are doing research on how they run, whether they run efficiently and run reliably,” he said. “In replacing GP vehicles, we would look to replacing them with electronic vehicles.”

According to Bermuda Motors, the Soul costs $49,500 per vehicle, making them a relatively high-end model for the island.

In 2019 remarks, Colonel Burch highlighted savings to be reaped from phasing out older sedans in favour of smaller, cheaper GP vehicles, saying “downsizing” was likely.

He told the House of Assembly that older cars were headed for retirement.

The issue of premium cars for politicians has drawn criticism for at least ten years, with the One Bermuda Alliance in Opposition attacking the Progressive Labour Party administration in 2012 about the government fleet.